1972 Dodge Challenger

[rolling_thunder]

That slipyoke engagement looks decent to me - the reason people say small block to big block need a different driveshaft is because the small block 904 transmission is shorter than the small block 727. The small block and big block 727s are the same length so the same driveshaft can be used if you had a small block 727 car and you're going to a big block with a 727

 

[tsaarts]

That slipyoke engagement looks decent to me - the reason people say small block to big block need a different driveshaft is because the small block 904 transmission is shorter than the small block 727. The small block and big block 727s are the same length so the same driveshaft can be used if you had a small block 727 car and you're going to a big block with a 727

Ok thanks. I thought that small block a727 also was longer.

I also post some more pictures.
Installing engine was one of the most enjoyable job. I also bought standard Griffin radiator and made custom brackets. Exact fit were more expensive. I had some old headers with 3 inch collectors. They tend to sit a little bit too low but i think it is because they are meant for RB tall deck.
One big job was to wire the engine. Originally it had mopar electronic ignition which i changed to MSD Fire CD system. Original wiring was bad and because i had do not use ballast resistor with MSD i had to design new under hood wiring.

I did my own wiring diagram:

I built most of the wiring on the wall and after in the car made wires to length.

Today car is running by engine power but it is unbelievable how much bad luck i had to get it running:
1. First i did not had a spark. MSD LED did not flash with spark. I had bad battery from another car. Bought the new one.
2. Still no spark. With MSD manual troubleshooting found out i had bad distributor. I had spare used one which worked and i got finally spark.
3. Car ran very badly with Holley 3310 but it ran when i filled bowls manually. At this moment i had no fuel lines to carb.
4. I made fuel line but the pump was not working which i had bought about year ago. Bought new one.
5. Fuel dual hardline inlet to the carb was badly leaking. Thankfully i had old holley 600 cfm which had one inlet which is leaking from the butterfly shaft. But i got stable fuel pressure and level in the bowls. But engine still ran only with higher RPM.
6. I looked over fuel system, timing but still ran badly and only with higher rpm. Finally i pulled valve covers and found that there were problems with cam lobes which what i think were grounded wrong. Funny thing is that it was used cam with matching lifters and valve springs. Thankfully valves were okey. But later i will post a picture of that cam and maybe anybody can solve the mystery how this thing was running with previews owner. I ordered the new cam from Comp and got it finally running.
7. Next problem was with charging system. By the way i had brand new alternator which i found out was bad. One brush was fallen apart. After fixing i still had too high voltage. Multimeter tester showed 17 volts were it should be 14 volts. Two other voltage meters verified that charging was okey after fixing alternator.

 

[Darcyh55]

You're doing a great job on the car. View attachment 54823 Good luck on your restoration of the 1972 Dodge Challenger. Here is a picture of mine in Merritt, BC, Canada.View attachment 54823

 

[tsaarts]

View attachment 54829 You're doing a great job on the car. View attachment 54823 Good luck on your restoration of the 1972 Dodge Challenger. Here is a picture of mine in Merritt, BC, Canada.View attachment 54823

I like the look of your car. I think if chrome trim is tightly fitted to the edge of the panel and bumpers are also tight against the body it makes the car looking good.

One defect that i have is that trunk trim small peace end angle and quarter angle does not match exactly. Also quarter panel and trunk lid gaps get too narrow at the ends. I hope that TA wing will cover this last defect.

I also made picture of this strange camshaft. I am not expert in this thing but with this cam my engine did not work. Look the lobe separation angle on cylinder #1. Cylinder #2 seems to be okey. I did not pictures of other lobes but there were problems with three cylinders. Maybe somebody can explain this.

 

[moparlee]

Good job on the trouble shooting and solving those startup problems. That's the way it goes sometimes. On the cam shaft, did you hear the engine run when the previous owner had the car?

 

[tsaarts]

Good job on the trouble shooting and solving those startup problems. That's the way it goes sometimes. On the cam shaft, did you hear the engine run when the previous owner had the car?

Yeah i saw the car running and driving but i did not saw what exact cam was in that car. In the picture you can see the wear marks in cam which means it was in car at some point.

I also have on video of my car driving first time:


Underhood wiring is a mess but it is not ready yet.

 

[tsaarts]

I will add some more pictures.
I have made dual 2.5" exhaust. I used Dynomax super turbo mufflers.
Also made updated version of standard instrument cluster. I looked Rallye cluster and also Dakota Digital. These seems to be expensive. Autometer dash looks a little bit too ugly for me. From the internet i got idea to use standard dash with Pro Comp instruments. I have oil pressure, fuel, voltage, temp and 5" speedometer. I think i do not need tach.
I have also painted the interior, some dash parts and added some sound insulation.
I rebuilt the proportioning valve and calipers. Look how old brake oil looks like.
In summer i started bodyworks. Half of the car is done today. Because of low temps and high humidity i can not continue bodyworks until spring.

 

[tsaarts]

Also look the quarter panel behind the fuel filler cap. It is aftermarket panel and after primer it looks like the slope above the bodyline is straight instead of having a curve. After finding this i looked other people car which some also had this defect.

I laso have aftermarket shifter but unfortunately when i made cam brake in exhaust melted the cable. I think i can not use cable and need to modify the original linkage to fit aftermarket Hurst shifter.

 

[hellrats]

Yes I see what you mean about the body line. But I would not worry about it. It is hard to find any aftermarket panel that fits like a factory panel. The last quarter skin I did was on an A body and I played hell getting all those body lines the match up. You are doing fantastic work. Keep up the great work. I want to see the pictures when it's done!

 

[hellrats]

The Challenger has strange body lines. The Cuda' is so much different in the lines. Most people do not see the different but a body man can tell straight away.

 

[tsaarts]

Yes I see what you mean about the body line. But I would not worry about it. It is hard to find any aftermarket panel that fits like a factory panel. The last quarter skin I did was on an A body and I played hell getting all those body lines the match up. You are doing fantastic work. Keep up the great work. I want to see the pictures when it's done!

Another problematic panel was aftermarket trunk lid. It has so big flat portion that it was almost impossible to sand that flimsy skin. If anybody needs a new trunk it is best to find old OM lid instead of aftermarket. Another example is front fenders. My left, which is aftermarket is much lighter but what i think is still usable.

 

[moparlee]

Everything looks very nice, well done. There can even be problems with those large flat areas on the factory deck lids. What brand are your exhaust pipes?

 

[tsaarts]

Everything looks very nice, well done. There can even be problems with those large flat areas on the factory deck lids. What brand are your exhaust pipes?

Thanks for the response. Pipes are no name zinc galvanized universal exhaust pipes from local parts shop. They sell straight pipes, bends, y, x, perforated etc. what ever is needed. I m not sure that stainless steel is needed because i car drive only in summer. With these cars, repairing or building new exhaust is easy.

 

[tsaarts]

I also have a vision how the car should look when it is done. I know it is not real TA, it is not even 70 but it looks cool. Original colour war light blue but tried to photoshop it red. I have ta hood, duck tale spoiler, side stripe and chin spoilers. I think i do not make side exhaust because i m not sure i like these. Also not sure about vinyl roof.

 

[tsaarts]

Slowly getting there. Painted the main body of the car lately. Because i paint in my home garage I need to wet sand and buff clear coat.
Painting home is not best but doable. To prevent dust it is good to paint fewer parts at once because you get less dust when spraying clear coat. The biggest problem is lighting. You need good lighting to see when you spray clear.

By the why it seems that because you spray clear with lot of pressure it gets static and attracts dust much more than base or primers.

 

[tsaarts]

Does anybody know right geometry of a727 kickdown cable. I m using Lokar cable and Street Demon carbureator.
Also, if anybody plan to use Lokar dipstick for transmission with bellhousing mount - does not work with headers. Need to make custom bracket:

 

[moparleo]

What brand of sheet metal did you use ? Different brands of headers have different clearance tolerances. TTI are the most well known and best fitting. Also the most expensive, but some things you don't skimp on. I would replace the u-joints before driving. Also, did you replace all of the brake lines ? They rot out from the inside so if the old fluid was real bad, there is a good chance that the lines are in bad shape.

 

[tsaarts]

What brand of sheet metal did you use ? Different brands of headers have different clearance tolerances. TTI are the most well known and best fitting. Also the most expensive, but some things you don't skimp on. I would replace the u-joints before driving. Also, did you replace all of the brake lines ? They rot out from the inside so if the old fluid was real bad, there is a good chance that the lines are in bad shape.

Thanks for response. Outer sheetmetal is mostly goodmark. It needs massage but prizes for AMD are ridiculous. It makes about 1000 Euros for AMD front fender in EU. With Goodmark parts from rockauto it is about 400 Euros with transport and taxes. Doors and front left fender is repaired with patch panels. Interior parts are made mostly with patch panels.
Headers game with the engine there is no brand on them, but i can use them for now. I replaced one U-joint with 7260/7290 conversion joint to use different rear center section. Went from open 2.76 to LSD 3.23.
I replaced all the brake lines with master cylinder. Distribution box and calipers i rebuilt.

 

[73Machine]

Doing an amazing job. Also that is awesome how you set it on its side to do the underbody. I’m almost tempted to do that with mine but afraid it will fall or dent the quarter panel.

 

[tsaarts]

This car body is not so heavy. Without outer panels it took two men to put it on trailer .
Car is almost painted. Have to do the valances, grille, core support, taillight panels and maybe some more smaller parts.
Started working with window regulators and after four years from taking things apart it is a bit of the puzzle. Also new hardware kit is needed for regulators.